Thursday, January 14, 2010

Book Review: Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George

I very nearly finished this book while sitting in the dentist's chair today. Remember the tooth incident on the bike trip this summer? Well, turns out that while a filling would do to fix it for the moment, the tooth is looking a bit cracked and a crown is the better choice to as to avoid needing a root canal later. Sigh. This morning was my first experience with the wonders of capping (although I just have a temp for now) and I have to say, I didn't love it and am still not loving it. On top of seeing to have picked up a touch of Davan's cold and the pain in my jaw, I'm not in tip top shape today. So, the part of Dragon Slippers I didn't finish during waits in the chair, I finished while laying on the couch, feeling sorry for myself.

I must say, though, that Dragon Slippers was a perfect read for my less than stellar self today. It's the story of Creel, a teen girl who is offered up to a local village's dragon in hopes that the lord's son will come and rescue her and then marry her. She doesn't want to participate, but is left little choice by her aunt, who took her in after her parents died. It's not even really expected that the dragon will turn up, but he does, although he's not interested in eating Creel. Instead, they strike a bargain where Creel goes and turns back the lord's son in exchange for an item from the dragon's horde, which is not gold, but shoes. Creel chooses an unique pair of slippers, turns back the lord's son, then strikes off to the capitol to find work as a seamstress, having been so trained by her mother. Then the true adventure starts, involving dragons, princes, war and less then stellar employers.

I found this fast read to be very entertaining with Creel being likable, lively and intelligent. I give it an 8.5 and now, lunch dispatched for Davan and I, I'm off to lay down and read the sequel while the nearly recovered Davan hangs with her friend.

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